Scratching our heads at the BBC’s top 100 American Movies of All-Time

First off, let's make one thing clear. We're not scratching our heads at Spike Lee's “Do The Right Thing” making the BBC's 100 greatest American films. That movie, of which an image accompanies this post, not only made the list, but ranked appropriately at no. 25. It's the rest of the selections that have us scratching and, yes, shaking our heads in disbelief.

A wonderful page view driver, these sorts of lists make great fodder for passionate movie fans no matter what their age or part of the world they hail from. There is nothing more entertaining than watching two critics from opposite ends of the globe try to debate whether “The Dark Knight” should have been nominated for best picture or make a list like this. Even in this age of short form content where Vines, Shapchats and Instagram videos have captured viewers attention, movies will continue to inspire because they have the ability to elicit such passionate viewpoints and emotions.

That being said, not all opinions are good ones and we're quite curious who the 62 critics from around the world who voted on the BBC's list are. Look, we're not interested in throwing anyone under the bus, but it might explain exactly why some of these pictures made it on the list and why some didn't.

Before we even discuss the glaring omissions it should be noted that to qualify as an “American” movie it only needed U.S. funding. That means there are numerous international filmmakers on the list. And, hey, we're O.K. with that (except that somehow Ang Lee's “Brokeback Mountain” didn't qualify). It did mean, however, that 32 movies were directed by filmmakers born elsewhere. And, frankly, that makes the idea of an “American” film list sort of silly. Still, AFI's top 100 list (last updated in 2007) and admittedly conservative has a number of films that you would have expected to possibly see here including “The Grapes of Wrath,” “On the Waterfront,” “All About Eve,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “Tootsie,” “Rocky,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Easy Rider,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Reds,” “Cabaret” and “Platoon,” among others.

But wait, it gets worse.

There is not one Coen Brothers movie on the list. That means no “Fargo,” “No Country for Old Men,” “The Big Lebowski” or “Barton Fink” (which won the Palme d'Or).

There is not one Clint Eastwood movie on the list. Somehow even “Unforgiven” didn't make it.

There is not one film from Steven Soderbergh, Michael Mann (cough, “Heat”), David Fincher, Todd Haynes or Gus Van Sant.

And, inexplicably, Ridley Scott's “Thelma & Louise” made the top 100 over “Blade Runner,” arguably the most influential Sci-Fi film since “2001: A Space Odyssey” (stop and think about that for a moment).

Keeping all that in mind, we suggest you take a deep breathe before reviewing the official list which includes some specific commentary on a number of the selections.

89. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
88. West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)
87. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)*Great film, nowhere near the top 100.

86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)*Tough. I'm not a “Toy Story” fan, but even I would argue it deserves to be on this list before “The Lion King.” I'd also argue “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Fantasia” were more worthy.

85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)*Tossup. It's influence on the horror genre is huge, but over “The Exorcist”?

80. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
79. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)*Certainly deserves mention before some of the other films on this list, but many would argue “The Thin Red Line” is a strong overall piece of work.

78. Schindler”s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
77. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
76. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)*Not sure you can have both “Empire” and “Star Wars” on just the top 100. Perhaps 200…

75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)*Biggest shocker of them all. Should not be in the top 100. I'd chose Zemeckis' “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” before “Gump.”

73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)*Too low on the list. Should be higher.

60. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
59. One Flew Over the Cuckoo”s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
58. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
57. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)*Slightly high, but if its this just this and “Annie Hall” from Allen's oeuvre in the top 100? O.K.

56. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)*Are you kidding? Wonderfully entertaining comedy adventure from the '80s. It is not one of the top 100 American movies of all-time.